The European Union on Tuesday inaugurated a €1.9 million scholarship programme on sustainable energy for post-graduate students from West African countries and Mauritania
At the inauguration of the EU-ECOWAS Scholarship Programme on Sustainable Energy, Head, Cooperation, European Union Delegation to Nigeria and the ECOWAS, Ms Cecile Tassin-Pelzer, said the programme, which was in collaboration with ECOWAS is being implemented by the British Council.
According to Tassin-Pelzer, the EU-ECOWAS Programme provides scholarships for masters’ degrees in sustainable energy at specialised universities in West Africa.
She said it was in efforts to ensure that people from the region have access to clean and sustainable energy and also to share the objectives and benefits of transition to green energy.
“During the African Union-European Summit earlier this year, we launched the Africa Global Gateway investment package.
“It brings €150 billion in investment to Africa to consolidate existing investments and to launch new ones.
“In the framework of the new multi-annual indicative programme 2021- 2027 of the EU for Sub-Saharan Africa, we are planning to allocate €600 million grants funding sustainable energy in West Africa alone.
“As demonstrated by this programme, the EU is also available to support the human capital development accompanying this transition,” she said.
According to her, this will be achieved by contributing to strengthening the capacity of higher education institutions in West Africa on sustainable energy through scholarships.
“This €1.9 million programme is implemented by the British Council in close collaboration with the ECOWAS Commission.
“It aims at facilitating increased access by students from ECOWAS member states and Mauritania to selected West African institutions that provide high quality curricular in renewable energy,” she said.
Tassin-Pelzer said the innovative component of the programme is the mentorship plan to further broaden beneficiaries’ skills in the sector, while improving regional management of the energy sector in West Africa.
The Programme aims at facilitating increased access by students from ECOWAS member states and Mauritania to selected West African institutions that provide high quality curricular in renewable energy.
Specialised universities
Country Director, British Council, Senegal, Alex Lambert, said the EU scholarship is a fully-funded Master’s degree programme in a variety of sustainable energy courses at nine specialised universities in six West Africa countries.
Lambert said these institutions were selected taking into cognisance course curriculum, infrastructure, and ability to receive foreign students among others.
Also, he said the institutions are renowned for their high-quality curriculum in the fields of renewable energy and energy efficiency.
They include three from Nigeria — Obafemi Awolowo University; University of Ibadan; and University of Nigeria Nsukka as well as Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana; and Ecole Polytechnique de Thies Senegal.
Others are: Universite Cheikh Anta Diop, Senegal; Institut National Polytechnique Felix Houphouet-Boigny, Cote D’Ivoire; Ecole Nationale Superieure d’Ingenieurs Universite de Lome, Togo; and Universidade de Cabo Verde, Cape Verde.
“The opportunity is open to all the citizens of ECOWAS and Mauritania who have a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, energy and environment, law, economics, finance and planning.
“Applicants may apply to any of the nine institutions in any of the six countries and special consideration will be given to female applicants,” he said.
Lambert said 75 applicants would be selected with special attention paid to female applicants.
The Commissioner, Infrastructure, Energy and Digitalisation, ECOWAS Commission, Sediko Douka, commended the EU and the British Council for helping the region in sustainable energy development.
Douka said the move will be of immense help to the region, and appealed to the implementing partner to be fair to all applicants in the selection process.
Country Director, British Council Nigeria and West Africa Cluster, Ms Lucy Pearson, said the Council will leverage its experience in scholarship management and higher education institution partnerships across Sub-Saharan Africa in managing the scholarship.
“We are particularly excited that the overall objective of the EU for this programme complements the long-standing work of the British Council to enhance human capital development,” she said. (NAN)
